Carlos Navarro

LA-based architectural designer and new media artist working at the intersection of generative AI, procedural design, and game engines. His practice reactivates architectural semiology through digital worldbuilding, producing immersive, interactive experiences that bridge architecture and media art.

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Work
  1. Penjing World
  2. SA(rch)M
  3. Seed / Thrive
  4. Zero-Carbon Futures
  5. MexiFuturism
  6. Weird Ecologies
  7. Uncanny Valley
  8. 3D Neural Synthesis
  9. Hyperreal HK
  10. 3D Handscrolls
  11. Playtime ML Agents
  12. Material Intelligence
  13. ArcoGAN
  14. Computational Thinking
  15. AR Projections

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Penjing World
Penjing World Plausible Miniature Urban Landscapes
through Gaussian Splatting

Penjing World:
Plausible Miniature Urban Landscapes
through Gaussian Splatting
 Oct 01, 2025.  GS Workshop at Woodbury University
Oct 24, 2025.  “Portal” Exhibition at Resin Gallery
“Penjing World” transforms miniature potted nature into immersive, urban-scale digital landscapes in 3D-captured LA Metro environments. Participants navigate multilevel VR worlds where music, motion, and spatial memory shape real-time, audio-reactive volumetric scenes. The work blends craft, interactive storytelling, and digital worldbuilding into a contemplative, multisensory experience.

Developed in Unreal Engine and TouchDesigner, Penjing World integrates Gaussian Splatting for volumetric rendering, extending the technique into virtual reality, an approach rarely applied in immersive environments. Through OSC communication, a soundtrack composed in TouchDesigner modulates the splat fields live within Unreal Engine, producing distortions, color shifts, and particle-like movements that synchronize with sound. These responsive shaders translate sound into spatial force, allowing the digital environment to breathe and evolve around the participant’s motion.




Penjing World v1.0:
Process Sequences
Oct 1, 2025.  Gaussian Splatting Workshop
Applications & Applications Lecture Series
Woodbury School of Architecture  
 The project originated through a series of process sequences developed for the Applications & Applications Lecture Series, led by Caco Peguero at Woodbury University. Created with Luma Gaussian Splatting technology in Unreal Engine, this work explored new intersections of traditional craft, real-time rendering, and experiential storytelling. Soundtrack co-created with AI.




System Design

Splat Mapping:
Comparative Scale Research

Juxtaposing miniature potted nature with the monumental architecture of the LA Metro. This series utilizes Gaussian Splatting 3D captures to subvert traditional notions of scale, elevating humble assets into dominant environmental features.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor-Sit Amet
Vivamus sed condimentum leo
Publisher: Querido
Design: Quisque Malesuada Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In porta ex a porta blandit. Suspendisse feugiat justo at mauris molestie molestie. Ut mattis urna sed sem pulvinar, vitae rutrum nulla ultrices. Curabitur laoreet erat et sapien venenatis luctus.



Lorem Ipsum Dolor-Sit Amet
Vivamus sed condimentum leo
Publisher: Querido
Design: Quisque Malesuada Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In porta ex a porta blandit. Suspendisse feugiat justo at mauris molestie molestie. Ut mattis urna sed sem pulvinar, vitae rutrum nulla ultrices. Curabitur laoreet erat et sapien venenatis luctus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In porta ex a porta blandit. Suspendisse feugiat justo at mauris molestie molestie. Ut mattis urna sed sem pulvinar, vitae rutrum nulla ultrices. Curabitur laoreet erat et sapien venenatis luctus.

Praesent bibendum a elit non efficitur. Etiam et velit vitae quam aliquet fermentum. Quisque sit amet nulla dictum, cursus erat a, tempus est. Sed laoreet, magna eget mattis tincidunt, felis tellus vestibulum augue, in lobortis mauris risus eu nunc. Vivamus sed condimentum leo. Nunc efficitur, magna condimentum gravida egestas, ligula mauris posuere neque, sit amet sagittis dui velit vitae neque. Donec in dapibus arcu. Aliquam efficitur suscipit magna, vel pretium mi. Aenean nisl nulla, porttitor interdum enim nec, sagittis suscipit mauris. Quisque malesuada ullamcorper lacus, nec posuere odio egestas vel. Suspendisse potenti.

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2037

Splat Mapping:
Comparative Scale Research

Juxtaposing miniature potted nature with the monumental architecture of the LA Metro. This series utilizes Gaussian Splatting 3D captures to subvert traditional notions of scale, elevating humble assets into dominant environmental features.

Lorem Ipsum Dolor-Sit Amet
Vivamus sed condimentum leo
Publisher: Querido
Design: Quisque Malesuada Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In porta ex a porta blandit. Suspendisse feugiat justo at mauris molestie molestie. Ut mattis urna sed sem pulvinar, vitae rutrum nulla ultrices. Curabitur laoreet
erat et sapien venenatis luctus.



 Lorem Ipsum Dolor-Sit Amet
Vivamus sed condimentum leo
Publisher: Querido
Design: Quisque Malesuada Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. In porta ex a porta blandit. Suspendisse feugiat justo at mauris molestie molestie. Ut mattis urna sed sem pulvinar, vitae rutrum nulla ultrices. Curabitur laoreet erat et sapien venenatis luctus.

Praesent bibendum a elit non efficitur. Etiam et velit vitae quam aliquet fermentum. Quisque sit amet nulla dictum, cursus erat a, tempus est. Sed laoreet, magna eget mattis tincidunt, felis tellus vestibulum augue, in lobortis mauris risus eu nunc. Vivamus sed condimentum leo. Nunc efficitur, magna condimentum gravida egestas, ligula mauris posuere neque, sit amet sagittis dui velit vitae neque. Donec in dapibus arcu. Aliquam efficitur suscipit magna, vel pretium mi. Aenean nisl nulla, porttitor interdum enim nec, sagittis suscipit mauris. Quisque malesuada ullamcorper lacus, nec posuere odio egestas vel. Suspendisse potenti.




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